Christmas Gift Guide: Small Businesses

During the holiday season, I try to buy gifts from a mixture of large retailers and small businesses. Lately I’ve realized that there are quite a few people in my life (whether it’s a co-worker or an online friend) that own their own small businesses, so I thought it would be nice to feature a few of them here in hopes that someone on your Christmas list could use one of their products.

Letterpress Soap

I’m itching for a promotion, so I figured I should feature my boss’s shop here to seal the deal. Just kidding. She knows my humor by now so she’ll appreciate this. 😉 But on a serious note, Brenda makes her own artisan soaps out of her home (in addition to being a full-time Head of Marketing, may I add). Her soaps are made with plant-based ingredients, free of parabens, sulfates, and phthalates, and packaged in an eco-friendly gift box. She gifted her team soaps for Christmas one year and I can tell you they are gentle and smell delicious. Like my whole bathroom smelled like delicious orange and apricot..  You can also monogram your soaps to your liking.

You can shop all her soaps here. I think she does custom orders too, so feel free to shoot her an email if you want something special. If you do end up ordering, tell her Rachel sent you!

Gnome Decor

My internet friend Denise and I met in a Facebook group for a podcast we both listen to. Denise makes gorgeous handmade cards, gift card holders, and other paper crafts. I personally still send physical cards for special holidays/birthdays and prefer/try to order handmade whenever possible. She also blogs on topics like crafts, decor, fairy gardens, and more (hence the name Gnome Decor!)

You can shop her items here or contact her for special orders. And be sure to follow her on Instagram, too!

Taryn Builds

I worked with Taryn at my last job for a few years. Although we only met in person a few times at company meetups, we are still social media friends. Recently she’s been showcasing her gorgeous, unique cutting boards (in addition to other furniture and woodworking projects) on her Twitter. And I’ll brag on her behalf here — she was featured in Popular Woodworking Magazine. Her cutting boards feature unique patterns (like chevron) and are made of quality maple and walnut.

Her website is currently being worked on, but you can place orders by contacting her here or sending her a DM on Instagram.

Taylor Wolfe Shop

I’ve followed Taylor’s blog, The Daily Tay, for years now (probably since I started blogging back in 2012, to be honest). In addition to her blog, she also runs an online T-shirt shop. Her shop features tees and tanks with cheeky sayings, fun designs, and personalization. Her latest holiday collection is perfect for, well, the holidays, and she also has wedding-related and gameday tees too.

You can shop via her website and follow her on Instagram.